The Holder of Paranoia
In any city, in any country, go to any haunted house on a Friday, October the 13th. In there you will fall into the state of mind where primal fear takes over, fueled by a feeling of being watched, followed, or constantly having your potential assailant right over your shoulder. Do not mistake this for mere paranoia, for if that is your only thought then you will never know what hit you from behind. When this seemingly irrational fear hits you, think of what you fear the most. Once you have this thought clearly envisioned in your mind and can feel it almost as if it were happening, turn around and swing as hard as you possibly can behind you. If you spin and are knocked to your haunches, remain there, because struggling will only make your fate worse. If, however, you hit something, turn around and observe closely the form that the creature you struck has taken. It will be somebody or something dear to you. It will ask why you have injured it, it will tell you to go on and leave it alone, but don't. This is where the faint of heart need not apply, for when you smite this creature and kill it, the person or object whose form it has taken will hang in the balance from this point on. You should decide now if gaining the object is worth it. When the creature dies, it will explode in a puff of fumes, leaving behind a horrible scent, but you must inhale it deeply, as deeply as you possibly can until you pass out. You will awaken behind the person that the demon took the form of. Your trial is to torture them through fear. You must frighten them beyond all understanding using the form and powers that the fumes you inhaled have given you, to the brink of driving them insane. If you did everything right, the person will pick up the nearest sharp object and drive it into their eyes. Do not be alarmed, as this can be undone with the object. As they lay dying, pick up the object they drove into their eyes and it will turn into an elaborate dagger in your hands, a pulsating red gem set in the handle and an eye-shaped recess in the rather wide, long blade. This is where you must take care, for if you do this wrong, the person you hold dear is gone for good and the Holder will refuse to see you. You must slash the person's chest with the dagger just deep enough to allow the eye to drip with blood, but do not drench it. A few seconds after this, the person will awaken, their wounds healed and all paranoid thoughts and feelings gone from them. Now close your eyes and stab the dagger behind you. If you connect with something, leave the dagger in and turn around. If not, it would be better not to open your eyes, for you and the one dear to you will know a fate worse than simple death. Once you've turned to face the Holder, he will smile wickedly in his true form, perhaps driving you to madness as he is the embodiment of all that makes people paranoid. If you can stand it, look him in the eyes and ask him, "Why must they hide?" The Holder will tell you of every feat of stealth, good and bad, that was ever performed by any creature or soul, natural or otherwise. You'll hear of everything from rapes, murders and robberies to surprise parties. Hope that you do not get distracted from the tale until its end, or the Holder will become displeased and leave you in your ghastly form for all eternity. If you make it through his story, he will nod and say to you, "Indeed, you have proven yourself worthy," but do not believe him! Remain suspicious and as The Holder moves to draw the dagger from his body, take it first and embed it into one of his eyes! He will scream and curse you as you pull out the dagger with his eye on it. Fumes will come from that wound as well. You must inhale them deeply as you did before. You will again pass out, but you will awaken in your true form, next to the one who gouged out their eyes. You will see that they are fine, and that the dagger is in your hands. When you awaken, you will be able to see every demon and monstrosity that would usually make you paranoid, so long as the dagger is with you...If you can turn around fast enough. When you slice yourself with the blade, it will rid you temporarily of all fear, but be careful...now that you're being watched, you may just be scared into killing yourself. The blood-ridden dagger is object 480 of 538. Is the knowledge of their existence better than living ignorantly?